The visit was lauded by Hamas as a sign that the terror group was being increasingly welcomed across Europe.

However, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry formally denied the news about the visit. A spokeswoman for the ministry that no Hamas visit had been planned and that no Bulgarian politicians and diplomats have been scheduled to meet Hamas officials.

Hamas is recognized as a terror organization by the European Union, of which Bulgaria is a member.

The PLO ambassador in Bulgaria, Ahmed Madbouh, told Ma'an on Friday he was informed by officials in the Bulgarian foreign ministry that they "regret" the presence of the Hamas delegation and took a decision to ask them to leave.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)